


in high definition

by starwrights



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Camboy Minhyuk, M/M, Social Media, all sorts of nasty i tell ya, but g-rated, for real
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2020-02-10 11:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18659317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starwrights/pseuds/starwrights
Summary: It’s not by Hyungwon’s own ministrations that he ends up inkcuties.com.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm exposing myself in more ways than one with this fic and tbh i am sweating
> 
> ANYWAY trigger warning!! near the end there's going to be implicit verbal s*xual harassment so if you're uncomfy with that you can stop reading at "From what Hyungwon can safely guess..." and start again at "Hyungwon watches as..."

It’s not by Hyungwon’s own ministrations that he ends up in _kcuties.com_. He likes to think it was all Changkyun’s fault, what with his affinity for amateur porn and him forcing his interests on Hyungwon and all.

(In truth, Changkyun had just simply linked him to _kboys.net_ when Hyungwon wouldn’t stop whining over how _dry_ it’s been. It was a joke, of course, on both their ends. Hyungwon isn’t Super Horny or anything. He’s just bored and what better way to entertain himself than to annoy Changkyun?)

He opened the link out of pure boredom and curiosity, not even surprised by the plethora of dicks and vaginas on display, eyes long desensitized by it all. After exploring a few categories, occasionally checking out a profile or two, Hyungwon grows even more bored. He really isn’t into this type of thing. He isn’t even that into regular porn. The cringe-y plotlines, the exaggerated moans and the over-the-top expressions are a huge turn off for him. Also, nobody’s assholes are _that_ pink.

He was just about to close the tab when a small message box pops up.

It’s obnoxiously pink and glittery, advertising some other affiliate site. Everything Hyungwon hates. He was a second away from closing his browser altogether when the display on the ad changes.

_Check out our featured cutie of the month!_ It says in flashing text. Underneath the text is a picture of an admittedly attractive male smiling demurely at the camera. Hyungwon doesn’t even notice when he moves his cursor to click on the ad.

Hyungwon’s immediately taken to the affiliate website and it’s thankfully not as pink and glittery as its ad. It also doesn’t have any sort of genitalia on display. He jumps a little when someone starts talking and Hyungwon belatedly realizes he was taken directly to the featured camboy’s page.

When he fixes his eyes on the feed, Hyungwon’s greeted with a person who looks about his age, sitting on what Hyungwon guesses is a bed. From what Hyungwon can tell, the kid probably has a medium build underneath his oversized sweater. It’s a little loose around the collar, but just enough to be teasing. He has dark hair, falling softly over equally dark eyes, and his lips are set into a pout.

He’s… pretty. That’s about the only word Hyungwon can use to describe him.

The camboy’s not doing anything in particular, just scrolling through his phone and making idle chitchat with whoever’s streaming his show, which, to Hyungwon’s surprise, is a solid eight thousand people. He doesn’t know much about the camboy industry but that has to be a lot, right? Looking back at the man on screen, and the bubbling credit counter on the side, Hyungwon starts to wonder why exactly these people spend their free time streaming shows like this. The other site he can understand to some extent but he just can’t fathom why people would pay to watch someone do random g-rated shit.

Hyungwon was reading through the set credit rates (out of, again, boredom) in the information box below (they’re absurd) when a breathy laugh escapes his speakers. It sounds… _sunny_. Sweet, almost, and Hyungwon scrolls up just in time to see the camboy shoot the camera a wink. He smiles then, bright and luminous and pretty and _maybe_ Hyungwon can understand why people would spend a portion of their time to watch this guy. Maybe.

“He really is,” the camboy says, probably replying to the hundreds of comments he’s been getting since his stream started. Hyungwon never really paid attention earlier but the boy’s voice sounds husky, raspy almost but it doesn’t grate on Hyungwon’s ears, much to his surprise.

“And, wow! It’s only been a few minutes but we’re nearing forty thousand credits!”

Hyungwon eyes the credit counter at the bottom of the stream and mentally calculates how long it’ll take before it balloons to forty. Maybe a few minutes or so, just enough time for him to read through the camboy’s _About Me_.

According to the info box, the boy goes by Min. He’s twenty-one years old, and just a tiny bit shorter than Hyungwon. He does streams once a week—on Sundays. That’s all the information available in the _About Me_ , besides the album of selfies and a link to Min’s whole profile.

When he scrolls back up Min is adjusting his position on the bed, tucking his legs under himself. He squints at what Hyungwon guesses is his laptop before leaning back, smiling brightly. Hyungwon’s breath hitches just the tiniest bit.

“Less than a thousand ‘til forty!” He says, clapping his hands once. “Get those requests ready! Though I would apologize since my throat hasn’t been in great condition lately.”

If Hyungwon had no idea this was a g-rated site, he’d think Min was preparing for, uh, something else. Right. But as it is, he’s just preparing to cover some songs his subscribers are currently requesting.

By now, Hyungwon would have lost interest. Maybe. Possibly. He really isn’t into these kinds of stuff but honestly, he’s curious. He wants to understand just what is it with Min that people would pay upwards fifty thousand won just to see him sing their favorite pop songs. Or a hundred thousand to see him dress up as some Shoujo manga hero.

It also helps that Min falls right into Hyungwon’s description of cute. Of his type. Of what he thinks is pretty.

So it’s not by his own ministrations that he ends up in this website, on Min’s page. But it is by his own when he registers for an account, when he donates twenty thousand of the seventy thousand credits he gets for registering to Min’s stream.

It’s by his own ministrations when he ends up in the website a week later, and the week after that, watching Min laugh and talk and smile at his eight thousand subscribers through the screen.

Hyungwon attributes it to intrigue—a pretty boy with pretty eyes and an equally pretty smile?

Truly intriguing.

 

-

 

From the few (used liberally) streams of Min’s Hyungwon’s been watching, here are some things he’s learned about Min besides his height and age.

> 1\. He’s a university student just like Hyungwon. Min never went into details, because _duh_ , but from the little stories Min likes to start his streams with, Hyungwon can at least guess that he’s some sort of art major.
> 
> 2\. Min is based in Seoul. Or somewhere near. This is mostly an assumption on his part but Min’s talked about places and streets Hyungwon’s grown familiar with ever since he moved from Gwangju three years ago to pursue his education. So it won’t be far off to say he’s somewhere in the city.
> 
> 3\. Min does a variety of things for his subscribers, but for the most part he just does covers, cosplays or makeup tutorials. Sometimes he talks about games or anime, gives his thoughts on the latest episode of the new season of One Punch Man or if he’s going to purchase the new Smash DLC. He’s something like a glorified youtuber, except maybe the money comes in more freely. Hyungwon has no real idea how this works but even he wouldn’t mind singing a few verses of the latest Exo song if he got fifty thousand won out of it.
> 
> 4\. When Min blinks, his left eye opens a tiny bit slower than his right. When he smiles, his entire face lights up, his eyes crinkling at the sides. When he laughs, it feels like the sun is washing over Hyungwon and warming his whole existence.

And lastly,

> 5\. Min’s really, really pretty.

Hyungwon doesn’t want to say he’s invested in the boy because _he isn’t_. He isn’t the type to get overly attached to some quasi internet celebrity he found out of sheer coincidence. He just finds Min really interesting. This whole g-rated camboy thing is. And it’s not like Min’s horrible to look at too. His voice also serves as a nice backdrop to Hyungwon’s slow Sunday evenings, when he’s nose deep in readings and textbooks and all he wants to do is lounge in his bed and sleep.

So yeah, Hyungwon isn’t invested in Min or anything. He’s just intrigued and a tiny bit interested in the boy with the dark hair and pretty smile who’s currently gushing about a new game that was released a day ago.

It’s nothing serious.

 

-

 

“Why do you look like someone just hijacked your snack stash?”

“How do you know I have a snack stash?” Hyungwon replies, glaring at Changkyun from across the table. The grin Changkyun sends him is telling. He’s probably the reason why Hyungwon’s sun chips have been mysteriously disappearing everytime he has the group over for study sessions or movie nights.

“That doesn’t matter,” Changkyun flaps his hand, as if saying _details_ , _meh._ “What matters is you’ve been sulking since earlier.”

Hyungwon is not sulking. He’s just had a horrible week leading up to now. For one, he hasn’t had proper sleep since it’s midterms week and a good percentage of his professors are assholes with no consideration for their students. Hyungwon only respects Mr. Shin now because he’s the only one with the hindsight to give out his midterm requirements from the very start of the semester, not a few days before midterm week. He was also gracious enough to move the deadline a week and a half after the actual midterm week. He’s a god in Hyungwon’s eyes now.

He hasn’t had the time to rest properly or even laze around and do nothing. Min didn’t even stream last night, so Hyungwon had no one to serve as background noise while he poured over his fifteen-page essay for Mr. Shin.

So yeah, he’s having a rough week.

“I’m not sulking,” Hyungwon denies, because he isn’t. “I’m just done with everything.”

“Sure you are,” Changkyun says before reaching over and stealing a fry from Hyungwon’s plate. Hyungwon glares at him and pulls his plate closer. “But I know what you look like when you’re ‘done’. You don’t look like that now. So again, why are you sulking?”

Hyungwon’s two seconds away from reaching across the table and strangling Changkyun but he decides against it. Not because he might accidentally murder the younger but because Changkyun has the humor of a horny adolescent boy and he’s going to turn the incident into some indecent joke Hyungwon’s going to have to suffer through for the next month or so.

“I told you, I’m not sulking.”

Changkyun ignores him. “Are you horny?”

Count on Changkyun to have no ounce of shame or decency. A few heads turn to them, amused or shocked or somewhere in between, but the look on Hyungwon’s face has them turning away just as fast.

“I am not horny. Changkyun, shut the fuck up.”

“Want a porn recommendation?” Changkyun says as if Hyungwon hadn’t just told him that he wasn’t horny. Or that he wants the troll to shut the hell up. “You can use my kboys account if you want. I have like, tons of credits.”

“I won’t even ask.” Hyungwon says, picking up his neglected burger and taking a bite. It’s kind of cold now, but he’s hungry so that flies right over his head. “And I told you, I’m just having a rough week.”

“Your fave camboy didn’t stream or something?”

That makes Hyungwon choke because _no_. He sputters, downing his iced tea in record time to wash down the burger currently clogging his throat. He ignores the shit-eating grin slowly forming on Changkyun’s face, reaching for a napkin to wipe his lips.

“Did I hit jackpot?” asks Changkyun, looking like a smug little bastard. Hyungwon frowns at him, narrowing his eyes hoping the younger can feel his absolute hatred.

“No,” He says. He doesn’t know why Changkyun’s former question prompted such a reaction from him but _no_. He’s not going to sulk because Min didn’t stream last night. He’s not going to sulk just because some camboy he discovered by accident missed a stream ever since he subscribed.

He isn’t sulking, period.

“That shit isn’t my thing,” says Hyungwon, which isn’t a total lie. He still can’t wrap his head around the whole sfw camboy gig. He also hasn’t ventured out past Min so he isn’t lying when he says this whole camboy crap isn’t his thing, nsfw or otherwise.

What he refuses to acknowledge is that he’s been tuning in to Min for more than a month straight and while he hasn’t succumbed and used his money to buy credits (he’s been mooching off the freebies the site loves to give out in exchange for ads), he can’t deny the fact that his interest never waned. If anything, it only swelled from that night all those weeks ago. He can’t explain why, though, so he opts to ignore the reasons entirely.

It’s easier this way.

“Understandable,” Changkyun says, attention already somewhere else. For once, Hyungwon’s thankful of Changkyun’s less than stellar attention span. “Anyway, Jooheon’s throwing a party at the end of the month and he wants you to come.”

“Ugh.”

“Oh come on,” Changkyun says, reaching over to swipe another fry from Hyungwon’s plate. Hyungwon slaps his hand before he can and Changkyun makes a noise that sounds vaguely like a wounded puppy. “Don’t be like that. He just wants you to have fun.” 

“I’d rather stay at home than rub shoulders with smelly frat boys.” He never really was one for parties anyway. It’s not like he’s close with anyone but Jooheon in Alpha Sig either. There’s also this one frat bro who keeps looking at him a little too weirdly whenever he does show up for one of their parties. Hyungwon doesn’t know why, but it unnerves him all the same. It makes Hyungwon shudder just thinking about the guy.

“You’re going to age without living life at this rate.”

Hyungwon merely rolls his eyes. If living life meant getting shitfaced at some frat house, then no thanks.

He’d rather watch Min.

 

-

 

Hyungwon’s Sunday nights have always been spent with himself.

Usually, he spends it studying if there’s anything to catch up on or if there’s a test coming up. Which means almost every week of the semester. If not he spends it lounging around on his couch or bed, binging whatever show he can find on Netflix until he inevitably falls asleep. Sometimes he picks up a book and settles in to read, but those times are rare now, not with his graduation just over a year away and his schedule riddled with his majors and electives who like to pretend they’re major.

And at this point it’s almost a routine, one he has no plans on breaking ‘til he gets his diploma. Even Changkyun can’t drag him away from the sanctity of his Sunday evenings. Lately though, there’s a new addition to his Sunday plans, and somehow, the change doesn’t bother him as much as he thought it would.

The stream loads up instantly and like all of Min’s previous streams, he’s sitting on his bed, but this time he’s in a soft pink sweater, scrolling through his phone. He flashes a smile to the camera and waves, as sunny as ever.

“Hi! How are you guys?” Min asks, his eyes flitting over to the corner of the screen in what Hyungwon guesses is his viewer counter. “There’s more than usual today, wow! You guys miss me that much?”

Hyungwon watches as the comments explode with various iterations of _yes._ His fingers twitch but he ignores it to focus back on Min whose smile is getting bigger and bigger.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then!” Min laughs. “I was kind of busy last week so I couldn’t stream. I probably should’ve have posted on my wall beforehand so you guys would have known in advance.” He pouts then, looking not unlike a sad puppy. Hyungwon’s chest tightens just the tiniest bit. God, that was adorable.

From the corner of his eyes, Hyungwon can see the chat box explode once again but now it’s just rows upon rows of emojis.

The stream continues the same, except there’s more people tuning in than usual. Which also means the credits are coming in faster. Hyungwon usually just has the stream playing in the background while he does whatever but he doesn’t have anything lined up for tonight so he’s actually watching Min do his stuff.

He still doesn’t fully understand why people would pay hard earned cash to watch someone dance girl group songs while in cosplay and if he was being completely honest with himself, this is somewhat lame. Hyungwon could go to TikTok or Youtube and find the exact same content. Maybe the people won’t be as pretty and charming as Min but it’s still virtually the same, isn’t it? Changkyun would also probably bust a lung laughing if he found out Hyungwon tunes in to a g-rated camboy every week.

That doesn’t stop Hyungwon from watching though, because as much as he doesn’t want to admit it, he’s no longer just _intrigued_. He refuses to delve further on why he’s so invested, because that’s not going to lead to anything remotely good. So, as he’s been doing since the night he clicked that subscribe button, he ignores the underlying reasons on why he’s still here a month and a half later.

Min’s streams usually last two to three hours, just enough time for Hyungwon to run through his notes or finish a paper, and enough time for Min to exhaust his set services. But tonight, Min’s going through his set credit rates faster than usual. It hasn’t even been half an hour before he’s at the end of his list.

“Wow, you guys are really enthusiastic tonight,” Min says, sitting back on his bed. He’s still in cosplay, and a little out of breath from dancing Izone’s latest song.

“I don’t want to end early since I missed last week, but I honestly have no idea what to do now,” Min frowns a little, puffing up his cheeks as he thinks. One of his hands come up to pick at the dry skin of his lips, before it shifts and Min’s biting on a finger while he thinks. It’s probably an unconscious gesture, but the reaction it incites is incredible. Hyungwon’s getting dizzy just by looking at the flurry of activity in the chat box.

From what Hyungwon can safely guess, Min’s audience consists of mostly teenage girls. The usernames and general tone of comments in the chat box are a dead giveaway. They’re mostly wholesome comments, just about how cute Min is or how they love his shirt or the color of his eyeshadow. But sometimes, some comments stand out, especially when Min does things that are completely innocent but when seen under the veneer of the perverse, can become something completely different.

Min probably sees them, because they’re a far cry from the flowery comments of his usual audience. Hyungwon ignores them for the most part, even though they leave a bad taste in his mouth every time he’s unfortunate enough to read them. It helps that those comments are usually overrun by other actually decent ones.

There’s usually only a few inappropriate comments every other stream, so they’re easy to pass over but tonight, for some reason, there’s more than usual and they’re coming in quick succession. From the look on Min’s face he’s probably reading them right now, and the comments from his other viewers aren’t coming in fast enough to overwhelm them. Hyungwon also guesses Min’s audience might feel uncomfortable too, given the demographic, so they’re not commenting as much after reading… that.

Hyungwon hovers his mouse over the text box, the cursor blinking right at him as he contemplates whether this is a good idea or not. It doesn’t take long for him to decide though, especially after Min lets out an awkward laugh that makes it obvious how uneasy he is.

> **ch_one:** dude what the fuck, screw off. go to the affiliate site if you’re so damn horny

Hyungwon watches as Min lets out a sigh, then a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Right,” Min says. “I’d just like to remind everyone that this is a g-rated stream. So if you want anything more than that, I’d gladly redirect you to our affiliate site.”

The comments start coming in, flooding out the inappropriate ones much to everyone’s relief. Min’s actual viewers keep apologizing for the creep’s behavior and he reassures them that it’s not their fault.

“I’m suddenly really tired,” Min sighs. “I know I said we can talk a bit more tonight but…” he trails off then, shooting the camera a sheepish smile.

Hyungwon’s half tempted to comment and reassure Min that it’s fine if he logs off early after what happened. He finds that he doesn’t have to when a chorus of _It’s okay!_ s and _Go rest!_ s flood the chat box.

“You guys are the best,” Min says, smiling again, but this time more genuine. He apologizes again before he starts saying his goodbyes. Min waving at the camera is the last thing Hyungwon sees before the feed goes black.

Hyungwon exhales a small breath before closing the browser. He’s a little tired himself, though he isn’t sure if it’s because of the late hour or what happened with Min. Either way, he decides to just sleep it off.

 

-

 

The first thing Hyungwon does when he wakes up in the morning is to check the time on his phone and whether or not he has 3 hours left ‘til his classes or 30 minutes, he goes back to sleep.

Today though, something catches his attention long enough to wake him up from his perpetually sleepy state. He doesn’t even remember having notifications on for the email he uses for unofficial matters but it’s there, blinking at him almost mockingly.

_min1103 sent you a message._

It takes a moment for Hyungwon to realize that that’s Min’s username from the website and when he does, he scrambles from his bed and rushes to his desk to boot up his laptop, not even bothering to open the email in its entirety.

On a good day, Hyungwon’s laptop would boot up in less than two minutes but today does not seem to be a good day. He glares at the screen irritably as it loads, fingers already poised on the keyboard to type in his password once it boots up to his lockscreen.

In hindsight, he could probably check out the message on his phone but then again, the site has no mobile support so he isn’t sure if he can even navigate through it properly. He can also check out the message via the email but then he won’t be able to reply so he settles for his laptop.

It takes about three more minutes before he’s opening his browser and typing in the site’s url. He sees the small notification counter on the upper-right side of the page and clicks on it immediately.

Hyungwon stares at the message, trying to process the few words written on there. His mind is still a little sluggish so the fact that Min even remembered his username from the hundred others flies right by his head. It also takes a while for him to remember what exactly happened last night for Min to even consider finding and messaging him.

> **min1103:** hello!! this is min!! i just wanted to thank you for earlier

Frankly, he has no idea what to reply, not to mention _how_. Changkyun did say Hyungwon texted like he had a stick up his ass, what with his proper capitalization and use of punctuation, as well as his penchant for proper grammar. He could technically just say _You’re welcome!_ And be done with it but somehow, the idea of ending it at that doesn’t sit well with Hyungwon.

After a few moments of trying to formulate a proper reply that isn’t too prudish, too excited or too much of anything, Hyungwon decides _fuck it_ and types whatever comes to mind.

> **ch_one:** Hello. And no, it’s totally fine. You looked really uncomfortable. I only did what anyone would do in that situation

Nice. Formal, kind of, but not so much. Just right, if he does say so himself. He isn’t expecting a reply until maybe later in the day or maybe even next week, or maybe never. He isn’t sure just how often Min logs in to the site, or if he replies to any messages he gets. Moreover, it was too early in the morning to be up, no sane human being would even think—

> **min1103:** still!! it meant a lot so thank you!! i usually just ignore them but last night was… too much i guess. so thank you!!

Okay so Min types just how Hyungwon imagines him to. With too much exclamation marks. It’s almost endearing how it mirrors how he speaks during streams.

> **ch_one:** It’s honestly fine.

Hyungwon eyes the little green dot right next to Minhyuk’s username indicating he’s still online. He probably already saw Hyungwon’s latest message and honestly, he can leave it at that. Any more and he might end up branded as one of those creeps, or an ambitious fan. Also, he sounds a bit dismissive so he really isn’t expecting a reply anymore.

Much to his surprise, just as he was about to close the tab, a new message from Min pops up.

> **min1103:** w(°ｏ°)w
> 
> **min1103:** you sound so serious 
> 
> **min1103:** anyway ignore that!! do you have any requests (g-rated!!!!!!!!) for the next stream? you don’t have to donate or anything!!
> 
> **min1103:** this just my way of saying thank you (*°▽°*)

Hyungwon lets out a little laugh as he reads the successive messages. Hyungwon barely knows Min but somehow the use of weird japanese emoticons seems so expected of the camboy.

> **ch_one:** There’s really no need.

Hyungwon hesitates, wondering if he should just go and say what crossed his mind when he was formulating his reply. There’s no harm in it, no?

> **ch_one:** I enjoy your shows as they are.

He’s just being honest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> danie, if u out there, this one's for u
> 
> thank you for reading!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all i am: sorry this took so long shsshsskj but anyway it's here and if y'all noticed,,,,, the chapter count's been bumped up ahAHAha i h8 myself

Min hadn’t replied after Hyungwon sent in his last message that morning and honestly, that was to be expected. Min has a life outside the website most probably. Hyungwon assumes he won’t sit around to chat with a stranger the whole day and Hyungwon’s virtually the same. He has uni to worry about. He isn’t going to sit idle waiting for a reply that won't come.

So he doesn’t. He also doesn’t expect to get any more messages from Min after that but when the next Sunday comes, and it’s just half an hour before Min’s set to stream, he is dutifully surprised.

> **min1103:** will you be streaming tonight?

Hyungwon’s brows furrow as he reads the message, wondering why Min would even think of to ask. Hyungwon highly doubts Min messages his thousands of subscribers that but there’s not much to ponder about so Hyungwon replies,

> **ch_one:** Yes, of course.

Min’s reply comes not a minute later.

> **min1103:** yay! see u then!!!

And that had been that. The stream goes on as usual and Hyungwon glances at the feed occasionally when Hobbes and Locke get too annoying and he needs something else to focus on before his mind melts into goo from all these social contracts.

Min’s bright grin and his laughs and his small antics are enough of a distraction and if Hyungwon almost forgets about his reading after seeing Min blow a kiss to the camera as per his subscribers’ request, he can blame it on Min for making his brain stutter pathetically at the display.

 

-

 

The previous Sunday should have been the end of it, and since it’s only a few minutes before Min officially starts his stream, and he’s already on cam, Hyungwon deduces that yes, last week was the end of it.

But then Min visibly startles on screen, his eyes widening almost comically and he immediately picks up his laptop from where it was stationed off camera. He clicks on a few things and when he stops, whatever he sees on screen makes him bite on his lip. He looks hesitant, if anything. In the end Min looks like he’s steeling himself before his fingers fly on his keyboard.

Just then a chat pops up from the bottom right of Hyungwon’s screen and he can only guess who it’s from.

> **min1103:** will you be watching tonight?

Hyungwon’s eyes flit back to Min on screen. He’s worrying his nails now, eyes still on his laptop, assumably on their chatbox. Min should see that Hyungwon’s online, right? So he’d know Hyungwon would be watching so why would he…?

Hyungwon shakes his head. It’s a simple question which requires a simple answer, so he replies _Of course_ without taking his eyes off Min on screen, curious to the camboy’s reaction.

Now, Hyungwon doesn’t exactly have the best internet so his stream isn’t exactly in high definition, and he doesn’t want to seem to be delusional, but even with his crappy 480p feed, he can see something close and akin to relief settle on Min’s face as he, as Hyungwon would guess, reads Hyungwon’s reply.

Hyungwon watches as he types and not a minute later their chat pops up again.

> **min1103:** im glad!! i hope you enjoy!!

Hyungwon doesn’t even get to send in his reply before Min’s clapping his hands once, officially starting his stream, and honestly Hyungwon’s a tiny bit relieved. It’s nothing too incriminating but it’s embarrassing all the same, so he presses backspace, closes their chatbox and opens his notes, letting Min’s voice wash over him as he attempts to understand the inner workings of Niccolo Machiavelli’s _The Prince_.

 

-

 

But if you’re curious, his reply goes a little something like this:

> **ch_one:** I always do.

 

-

 

The next two Sundays have been the same. An hour or a few minutes before Min is set to start, he messages Hyungwon on whether he’ll be watching or not. It doesn’t matter if Hyungwon’s already online, he still asks and Hyungwon always replies with a some iteration of _Yes._

Come the next week, Min asks the same thing but Hyungwon doesn’t reply with _Of course_ or _Wouldn’t miss it_ instead he replies with,

> **ch_one:** Why do you always ask?

It’s fair to be curious right? There’s nothing wrong with Min asking and Hyungwon likes watching his little reactions whenever Hyungwon messages during those few minutes before Min’s set to start, but he’s one of out eight thousand. Why would Min single him out?

> **min1103:** i guess i feel safer when youre here
> 
> **min1103:** SHSJSKS IGNORE ME

Hyungwon barely has the time to nitpick and digest Min’s messages before the feed loads up. Just like always, Min’s on his bed in an oversized sweater. There’s a pink tinge to his cheeks that Hyungwon’s sure isn’t from the blush he’d been raving about the past week, and when he greets his early audience he sounds a little bit breathless.

Vaguely, distantly, Hyungwon thinks, _damn._

 

-

 

As much as Hyungwon would love to question Min on what he meant with his last few messages, he doesn’t. There’s a line he’s fully aware he shouldn't cross. Not now, not ever.

Moreover, he realizes somewhere around two in the morning and he’s still thinking about Min’s message when he could’ve been catching precious hours of sleep—is that he shouldn’t be so hung up over a camboy in the first place. Min shouldn’t be occupying so much of his time outside those few hours during Sunday. Hyungwon shouldn’t be spending his time pondering over a few messages he could easily dismiss when he has other priorities like his internship and his school work.

(He does anyway, even when he tries not to.)

His thoughts don’t stray to Min often but when they do, it always catches him by surprise. Then he shakes his head, willing them to go away, before telling himself to focus on whatever task was at hand.

Thankfully, as the semester approaches its last quarter, which has always been the busiest for Hyungwon, thoughts about Min become far and few between. He can’t afford to think about anything else when he has papers to write, reports to do and research work to prioritize alongside his internship.

It’s also around this time where every little thing sets him off. He becomes just a tad bit more irritable and peevish that even Changkyun and Jooheon know not to push his buttons whenever they were with him, had always treaded lightly whenever they see Hyungwon chug down copious amounts of caffeine just so he can last through the day.

Even Min’s voice, which has accompanied him during his last several Sunday excursions, has become a distraction. So for the next few weeks he doesn’t tune in to his channel, he barely even goes on social media or online unless completely necessary. He’s also turned off notifications on most of his applications just in case, save for his professional email and a select few contacts.

Changkyun always tells him to take it easy, and Jooheon always urges him to take breaks whenever he can but he just _can’t._ Not when his parents have been generous enough to allow enroll him to one of Korea’s most prestigious universities, not when he’s still mostly living on their dime. They’re not struggling or anything, but Hyungwon’s always been wary of these things. And with his graduation a year away, he really can’t afford to slack-off.

 

-

 

Just as sudden as Min entered Hyungwon’s life, in the face of his ever growing list of priorities, the cute camboy with the radiant smile and pretty eyes becomes an afterthought just as fast.

 

-

 

When finals week rolls around (or weeks, because they always go on for more than a week), Hyungwon’s more or less ready. Sort of. He’s done all he studying he could, written all the papers he needed to and prepared all the reports that were assigned.

He could do this.

That doesn’t stop him from being a nervous wreck though, and from squeezing in last minute studying during lulls in his internship and a few hours before the exam. At the very least, if he somehow fails, he can say he did his best.

Changkyun meets him outside the liberal arts building Friday afternoon, right after Hyungwon’s last set of exams. At this point Hyungwon just wants to go home and collapse on his bed and sleep through the weekend but he promised Changkyun dinner so here they are, walking over to Changkyun’s favorite restaurant a few blocks away from the university.

Compared to him, Changkyun looks put together, like he hadn’t been taking exams non-stop for the past week. There are no bags under his eyes, nor does he look tired or worn out. Hyungwon’s only the slightest bit jealous.

“So,” Changkyun starts once they’re seated.

“No.”

“Oh come on!” Changkyun pouts, crossing his arms against his chest as he leans back in his seat. He looks so much like a petulant child that Hyungwon can’t help but laugh.

“Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth,” says Hyungwon. “You can’t blame me.”

“Fair point,” Changkyun acquiesces. “But hear me out. There’s a party tomorrow and you need to go.”

Hyungwon takes his eyes away from the menu and stares at Changkyun long enough until the other starts fidgeting. After a minute or so more of wordless staring, Changkyun balls up a piece of tissue and throws it at Hyungwon’s face. He dodges it just in time.

“Stop looking at me like that you creep,” he grumbles, pout back in place. “And dude, come on, the sem’s done. You need to unwind or something.”

Hyungwon sighs, lazily reading through the menu. He stares at Changkyun again and the younger only makes faces at him. “You know I hate frat parties.”

“But that’s the thing! It’s not a frat party!” Changkyun says. He looks weirdly excited by this, and determined. Is Hyungwon really that much of a recluse? “You know Kihyun, right?”

“Short. Grumpy. Would love to kill me any day now,” Hyungwon replies. “Yes, I do know tiny. What about him?”

“It’s gonna be at his place.”

“O… kay? How is the party being at his place supposed to convince me to go?” Hyungwon asks, his brows furrowing. Changkyun looks exasperated at this point, rolling his eyes as he leans over on the table.

“Kihyun hates frat parties as much as you so this one’s going to be chill,” explains Changkyun. “There’s probably going to be thirty people tops, no sweaty frat boys and loud music. Perfect for a grandma like you!”

Letting out a short breath, Hyungwon calls over a waiter. “Fine. I’ll _try_ to go but no promises.”

“That’s as good as a ‘yes’ from you.”

 

-

 

Like Changkyun promised, the party’s, well, chill. Hyungwon was greeted by Kihyun at the door and they share a few good-natured insults before Kihyun’s pulling the door open to let him in. Hyungwon can spy only a good handful of people, and the music’s playing at a reasonable volume. So far, not horrible.

“There’s food in the kitchen,” Kihyun tells him, leading him to the living room. “Changkyun’s somewhere in here, probably.”

“Thanks,” Hyungwon says, breaking off from from Kihyun to head to the kitchen. He’s kind of hungry, and if anything, Kihyun’s a good cook and a good host so he probably prepared actual food for tonight.

Just like he’s guessed, Kihyun’s prepared some sliders and pasta, there's also fried chicken for some reason, all laid out on the kitchen counter. Only a few people are idling in here, only dropping by to grab food or a drink before going back to wherever they were so Hyungwon doesn't have to mind anyone when he grabs a plate and piles in some sliders and pasta.

He wanders into the living room, plopping down on the armchair next to the couch Hyunwoo’s lounging on. He gives Hyungwon a small smile in greeting. Jooheon and Changkyun are on the floor in front of them, both entirely focused on the video game they're playing on Kihyun's TV. Huh. Hyungwon didn't peg the guy to like video games.

"I'm surprised you came," Hyunwoo says once Hyungwon's settled in with his food. He glances at Hyungwon briefly before he returns watching the two idiots in front of them. "You don't usually go to parties."

"Changkyun's pushy," Hyungwon states. "And I didn't want Jooheon to sulk again. You know how he gets."

Hyunwoo laughs at that, and it looks like Jooheon's been lending an ear to their conversation because he turns back and says an indignant "Hey!". Changkyun takes this opportunity to knock Jooheon's character off the arena, effectively winning the game.

"That's five games Jooheon. You suck at Smash."

"The last one doesn't count! I was distracted." Jooheon frowns, looking over his shoulder to direct it at Hyungwon. "When did you get here anyway? I thought you didn't like any sort of social gatherings."

"See?" Hyungwon snorts, turning to look at Hyunwoo. "He's still upset about it."

"Am not!"

"Sure."

Kihyun appears then, taking a seat on the arm of the armchair Hyungwon’s occupying. "How's the food?" He asks, glancing down at Hyungwon.

"Horrible." He punctuates this by finishing his slider and digging into his pasta. "Absolutely inedible."

"Glad to hear," Kihyun replies dryly, rolling his eyes. His gaze flits to Changkyun and Jooheon who're still battling out their sixth round. He snorts. "Minhyuk would destroy both of you in Smash."

"Minhyuk would destroy us on any game," Changkyun murmurs, not taking his eyes off the game. Hyungwon belatedly recognizes the character Changkyun's using. It's from the new DLC if he recalls correctly. Weirdly enough, he doesn't really play or keep up with game releases so the fact that he knows is kind of confusing. Maybe he read it in passing?

He doesn't get to dwell much on the thought when Jooheon jumps from his place, looking victorious. Changkyun's scowling at the screen, before yelling out for a rematch.

"Anyway," Hyungwon says, looking up at Kihyun. "Who's Minhyuk?"

"Oh, you haven't met?" Kihyun looks surprised. Hyungwon's just confused at this point. "Weird. He was on the team. You sure you haven't met him?"

The 'team' was the university's dance troupe. Hyungwon was a member from freshman year 'til the end of his second year before he quit because of his schedule. He hadn't thought to keep tabs on the troupe that much. All he knows is Hyunwoo's the leader now and some other senior named Hoseok is helping him out.

"Quit the team a two sems ago, remember?" Hyungwon reminds him. "Is he in our year?"

"Yeah, actually. He's my roommate."

"Oh," Hyungwon says, for the lack of anything else. "Is he here?"

"He should be." Kihyun shrugs, throwing one cursory glance around the apartment. "He was around earlier.”

“He’s with Hoseok. They’re buying drinks,” Hyunwoo pipes up from his end on the couch. “They’re gonna be back in a few.”

“Well, there’s your answer,” Kihyun says, getting up from his perch. “I’ll introduce you to him later. So if you’ll excuse me, I need to make sure nobody’s messing up my kitchen.”

And he’s off. Hyungwon absentmindedly watches Jooheon and Changkyun go round after round of their video game, chatting with Hyunwoo every once in a while. The party, if he can call it that, goes on around him and he can at least say he doesn’t mind being here. There’s no loud music, no smelly frat boys trying to hit on him even when he’s clearly not interested. There’s also good food, and above average company. So all in all, he doesn’t mind.

A few acquaintances strike up a conversation every now and then before they wander off again, and even the two idiots in front of him tire from trying to launch each other off platforms and disperse to other parts of the apartment. It isn’t long until Hyungwon’s left virtually alone. He lets another ten minutes pass before he gets up and heads to the kitchen to put away his plate. He spots Kihyun there, chatting with some people Hyungwon vaguely recognizes and makes his way.

“Hey,” Hyungwon starts, nodding his head to the two people Kihyun’s been talking to. “I’m gonna head on out. I’m kind of tired.”

“Really?” Kihyun laughs a little. “Changkyun wasn’t kidding, huh?”

Hyungwon shrugs halfheartedly. “I had a pleasant time but you know how it goes.”

“Right, right,” Kihyun says, smiling at him. “I’ll let Changkyun know you’ve left. Stay safe.”

“Thanks.” Hyungwon waves before he’s heads for the door. He’s just about done putting on his shoes, kneeled on the ground in front of the door when it slams open on its own accord. Hyungwon lets out a startled yelp, almost falling on his ass in surprise.

“Oh! Sorry!”

The familiar voice doesn’t register, Hyungwon too busy trying to gain his bearings from almost being slammed in the face with a heavy wooden door. So when he looks up to see who nearly gave him a broken nose, preferably to tell the person off for being so careless, he finds himself at a loss for words.

Right in front of him is a pretty boy with pretty eyes and an equally pretty smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we gon get to the spicy parts next kind of maybe yes
> 
> anyway, thank you for reading (and for the kudos and the comments i appreciate them a lot)!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi
> 
> (kinda not proofread so.....................)

Maybe he’s hallucinating. That’s highly plausible. Like, he _was_ almost hit with a heavy wooden door. It’s the adrenaline. He can feel his heart beating faster than it should be and his head spinning. Maybe he was actually hit? And the pain’s making him numb and woozy and he just conjured up this… this _image_ of the camboy he was obsessing over a few months ago. 

Yep, it’s gotta be that. 

But then Kihyun’s rounding the corner, a hand on his hip as he grabs Hyungwon by the elbow and hoists him up. He glares at—at _Min_ and huffs like a disappointed mother.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop slamming the door open like that?” He asks, the tone of his voice betraying the fact that it’s been one too many times. Min only grins at Kihyun, one that’s kind of apologetic but at the same time exasperated. “You almost hit Hyungwon, too!”

“But I didn’t!” Min whines and that—that’s familiar, something Hyungwon’s heard countless times and it has him taking a calming breath while Kihyun lists out reasons on why Min shouldn’t be slamming doors open all the while jostling Hyungwon’s arm which was still in his grip. Hyungwon can only stand there and stare as Min pretends to listen to Kihyun’s tirade, nodding every now and then and humming, as if he’s actually taking everything in, the smile on his face not faltering one bit.

“Have you even apologized to Hyungwon?” 

The mention of his name has him snapping to attention, and he’s immediately assaulted by Min’s grinning face. Hyungwon has the biggest urge to shield his eyes. 

“I did!” Min exclaims, his lips pulling into a pout before he's turning to Hyungwon. “Tell Kihyun I did.”

“You—” A number of thoughts run through Hyungwon’s mind as he clamors for something to say. They look a little like this: _You’re pretty. You’re real. You’re right in front of me._  

Obviously, not something he should say to someone he presumably just met. Thankfully enough, Hyungwon has at least one working braincell so he doesn’t say any of those, and instead trains his eyes on Kihyun and says, “He did.”

Kihyun narrows his eyes at him, gauging whether or not he’s lying but something about the expression on Hyungwon’s face or the tone of his voice convinces Kihyun. He sighs then, his hold on Hyungwon’s elbow loosening before dropping completely. 

“See? I apologized, our walls are fine,” Min shoots him a look so brief Hyungwon swears he imagined it. “And I didn’t bash in his pretty face! No harm done!”

Kihyun scoffs, herding Min (and somebody else who has been there all along but Hyungwon was too, uh, distracted to notice) inside. 

The breath Hyungwon lets out when Min passes by him and deeper into the apartment is one of relief. But before he disappears around the corner he turns back and shoots Hyungwon a wink, mouthing what Hyungwon reads as 'sorry for real'. Hyungwon short-circuits at the sight. 

Kihyun's shaking his head when Hyungwon stops being pathetic, his lips downturned like he's been dealing with a particularly difficult child. 

"Hey, sorry for that," Kihyun says. "He's a little…" Kihyun makes vague hand gestures, his face scrunching up ridiculously. "Yeah. It's hard to explain." 

"It's totally fine," Hyungwon waves him off, trying to appear as nonchalant as he can. "Surprised me is all." 

"Broke your nose more like," Kihyun mutters. It's almost endearing how much he cares for Hyungwon's face. "That was Minhyuk, by the way. The other guy was Hoseok. His face familiar?"

 _Yes._ Hyungwon doesn't say. _Way too familiar._

Instead he says, "No, not really. I think I've seen Hoseok around though, with Hyunwoo."

"Yeah?" Kihyun asks. "Hoseok's on the team, still, but Minhyuk quit a sem ago. Said it got boring or whatever. He's a fickle guy."

"Seems like a handful," Hyungwon remarks absentmindedly. 

He's still reeling a bit, eyes dazed and a little off balance and Kihyun must have noticed that because he says, "You look a little tired there, you should get going." 

He's not far off, but he hadn't hit jackpot either. Either way, Hyungwon takes it as an excuse to leave. He thanks Kihyun again before finally leaving, for good measure. 

There is this bubbling urge to scream the moment he steps out of the apartment building. Or throw a tantrum. Or rip his hair out and kick a tree. Or _something._  

But it's early, it's not even ten, and there are way too many people still out that would no doubt see a six-foot-something man banging his head on the nearest wall. So, despite everything, Hyungwon does not scream or kick a tree. He opts to drag his feet home instead, making a beeline for his shower before he launches himself on his bed. He's fully intent to _not_ think about Min— _Minhyuk_ —and how pretty his smile is still, even in person, or how nice his voice sounds when it's not pitched higher, when it's not distorted through Hyungwon's tinny speakers and— 

Well. 

He's already failed at that, hasn't he?

 

-

 

Since he was up until around four for reasons he refuses to disclose, Hyungwon wakes up way past noon. For a few blissful minutes he forgets what happened last night until he opens his phone and sees successive texts from Changkyun. They start off pretty normal like _y did u leave without telling me smh_ then they become increasingly incomprehensible as the night wore on. Changkyun seemed hellbent on letting Hyungwon know about everything that happened last night no matter how mundane. 

Hyungwon idly scrolls through the messages, not bothering to read through them properly because they’re just various iterations of _hsoek stratd stippigin lMAOOO_ and _kuns os ahrngy shshsjkssh._

But then there’s _mnyujk thins ur prety_ and Hyungwon’s gotten so used to Changkyun’s drunk texts that he automatically translates it to _Minhyuk thinks you’re pretty_ and that’s when everything comes crashing back to him. 

Right. He met Min last night. 

Right.

He rolls over so he’s looking up at his drab ceiling, tossing his phone somewhere on his bed. He stays like that for close to an hour, half empty-minded, half wanting to choke because how could life turn out this way? 

When he finally comes to, it’s already three in the afternoon and he’s wasted more than half the day in bed, wallowing for… for what exactly? He isn't so sure. In the end he groans, gets out of bed and heads to the bathroom to take a shower. 

Hyungwon settles on the couch after spending close to an hour under the unrelenting spray of his showerhead. After placing an order for some chicken from the place down the block, he opens his phone to scroll through his social media. Might as well catch up on everything he missed out on during his SNS ban, and, if anything, it’ll help him take his mind off of things.

His twitter's, well, the same. He only follows a handful of people and only Jooheon's really active on his timeline. The memes are hilarious though so there's that. Instagram's just filled with Changkyun's random posts on his private and a few dance videos from Hyunwoo and the team—nothing new, but he does take the time to watch all of them. He even listens to Changkyun's snippets of his compositions. His snapchat's kind of dead at this point so he skips that. 

There really isn't much left except to clear his trash mail so he can get rid of the notification badges. Eyes barely skimming through his inbox, Hyungwon was just about to mark everything read until his eyes catch on three successive emails all from the same sender. 

It's all from the camboy website, the one Min streams at. Hyungwon scrolls a bit further down only to see more emails from kcuties.com, all sent in between one week intervals, and all with the same subject line: _min1103 sent you a message!_ Hyungwon bites his lip, contemplating whether or not it would be a good idea to open them or just pretend he's never seen them at all. In the end, Hyungwon just shakes his head, dismisses the emails and clears his inbox. 

He places his phone on the coffee table in front of him before collapsing on the couch. Why would Min— _Minhyuk,_ damnit—send him messages even when he hadn't been streaming for the past few weeks? Months, even? What would he even tell Hyungwon? It just doesn't make sense. 

Something's telling him to boot up his laptop and check what those messages say but he doesn't. Instead, he melts further into the couch, staring into space and promptly spacing out until his food arrives.

It isn't until he's on his last piece of chicken that his phone pings and he doesn't think twice before checking it out because he's assuming it's just Changkyun asking if he's still alive, or maybe even Kihyun wondering if he ever got home safe. 

Maybe that's a mistake on his part. Maybe he should’ve kept in mind just exactly what day it is because the moment his phone lights up, Hyungwon quickly realizes it’s not any of his friends. Instead it’s from his email, and it simply reads _min1103 sent you a message!_

He curses under his breath, his food forgotten as he stares at the notification and wishing he should've ignored his phone until later. The urge to open his laptop and log on to the damn website to check is even stronger now, harder to ignore the more he stares at the notification on his phone.

To Hyungwon's credit he doesn't budge 'til the last possible second, only booting up his computer when there's about ten minutes before Min's set to stream. He's probably even on right now, waiting for the first few donations while chatting with his subscribers like Hyungwon remembers him doing. 

For once, Hyungwon's thankful his laptop takes forever to start. He's going to prolong this as much as he can. Who knows, maybe someone would knock some sense into him before he inevitably dooms himself. 

Once his laptop starts and he's on the website and faced with the log-in screen, Hyungwon hesitates. He can stop himself here. He can just pretend he never saw, block the notifications completely like he did for more than a month and get on with his life. He can just pretend that none of this ever happened.

But still, it won't negate the fact that Hyungwon has been obsessing over Min for more than a few months. That he's been finding comfort in the man's voice during Sunday nights.

It won't negate the fact that Min is _so, so_ close. That he's _real_ and Hyungwon met him just the night before.

So he takes a deep breath, steels himself, and enters his credentials.

 

-

 

They’re all the same, not one different from the other, all asking one thing.

_Will you be streaming tonight?_

Hyungwon scrolls up, eyeing the timestamps on each message only to realize that Min never missed a Sunday. That he always asked despite Hyungwon having been gone for more than a month. It didn't matter if he got no reply, he still asked for every Sunday that Hyungwon was gone. 

Hyungwon knows for a fact that Min's on right now, in an oversized sweater, smiling sweetly at the camera. He's probably still waiting for some donations, still probably scrolling through his phone or chatting with his subscribers like he always does. 

Sure enough, when Hyungwon opens his stream, that's exactly what Min is doing. He's still wearing a sunny smile, still talking animatedly, answering questions and sharing little stories here and there. 

Except, it's different now that Hyungwon's seen him personally, heard his voice for real, seen that smile up close—directed to him even. It's different now that Hyungwon knows Min pitches his voice just a tad bit higher when he's on cam, stretches his smile wider.

It's different, and Hyungwon doesn't know what to feel about the fact.

Their chatbox is still open down at the bottom of his screen, Min’s consecutive messages still blinking at him, waiting for a reply Hyungwon isn’t sure he should give. 

He hears Min sigh through his tinny speakers, and it sounds almost disappointed. That’s when Hyungwon finally decides, _screw it_ , typing out the first thing that comes to mind on their chatbox. Sadly it’s a lame, little— 

> **ch_one:** hi

Hyungwon closes the chatbox immediately, pretending he hadn’t sent a message at all. He trains his eyes on Min instead, now talking about some game about a goose? Hyungwon has no idea but he listens anyway, trying to take his mind away from the fact that the best he can do to reply to Min’s months’ worth of messages was a stupid _hi._

Once Min’s done talking about the goose game (Hyungwon shouldn’t find this so endearing but he does), Hyungwon sees his eyes flit to the bottom of the screen, and any other day it probably was to check his donation counter but today he visibly double takes, leaning forward the screen, eyes blinking rapidly. 

Min looks shocked, looks unsure of what he’s seeing and Hyungwon can only guess why. After almost half a minute of Min just staring at his screen, the comment box gets flooded with questions, all asking what Min’s seeing and if he’s okay. Min doesn’t seem to notice this, and Hyungwon realizes that maybe he should’ve sent a message after Min’s stream. So, Hyungwon takes it upon himself to inform the camboy that he’s still on cam, and that it’s been more than two minutes since he’s been sitting there looking like he’s seen a ghost.

> **ch_one:** Uhm
> 
> **ch_one:** You’re still on, and your viewers are kinda worried you froze so suddenly…
> 
> **ch_one:** Sorry. Maybe I should have messaged you after your stream.

The barely audible gasp Min lets out coerces a small laugh from Hyungwon, and he watches as Min shakes his head and apologizes to his viewers. He says something suddenly came up, and that it was _extremely_ unexpected thus his reaction. Min also says he might have to end his stream a bit early, pointedly looking at his camera and Hyungwon knows for sure it's directed to him. Min pairs his explanation with a sheepish smile and it’s enough to placate his subscribers, the chat box exploding with _it’s okays_ and _no worries!_ with a few rows of hearts every other comment or so.

The stream continues on as usual, except that it ends almost one hour earlier than usual and Hyungwon hasn’t even noticed until Min’s apologizing for ending the stream so early. Hyungwon has half the mind to shut down his laptop right then and there but that would be, as Changkyun would say, a dick move. So he doesn’t. Instead he waits until Min inevitably messages him.

Which, for some reason, takes almost ten minutes after the stream ends and Hyungwon is nothing short of confused. Maybe Min’s giving him a taste of his own medicine, which is well deserved in Hyungwon’s opinion. Sure, he hadn’t meant to ignore Min but he still feels a tad bit guilty of not bothering to check his email even once in the past weeks. 

He jumps a little when his laptop _pings_ and his chatbox with Min pops up. The message isn’t anywhere near what Hyungwon was expecting but at this point, he should be used to Min’s spontaneity, really. 

> **min1103:** SSJHHSS I’M SORRY MY ROOMMATE WAS HAGGLING ME TO EAT DINNER
> 
> **min1103:** anyway…
> 
> **min1103:** long time no talk 
> 
> **min1103:** what brings you here (¬_¬ )

Hyungwon doesn’t know if he should feel guilty over the fact that he’s clearly hurt Min’s feelings or endeared at Min’s obvious sulking. 

> **ch_one:** I’m sorry 
> 
> **ch_one:** I was _really_ busy these last few months. I had a lot on my plate so I couldn’t find the time
> 
> **ch_one:** I didn’t mean to ignore you…

He ought to probably ask why Min still messaged him week after week despite his inactivity but he’s not sure if it’ll turn things more complicated than they already are. By now Hyungwon knows he’s more than a little invested despite the denial still trying to override everything else. The fact that he’s met Min just last night also doesn’t help. So does the fact that Min’s prettier in real life, voice just a tad bit sweeter, eyes—

He’s not going down that route.

> **min1103:** (¬_¬ )
> 
> **min1103:** _(¬_¬ )_

The laugh Hyungwon lets out is loud and genuine as he sees the replies. He can imagine Min’s face doing the same exact thing as the Japanese emoticons he’s using.

> **min1103:** [bass boosted] **(¬_¬ )**
> 
>  
> 
> **ch_one:** I’M SERIOUS
> 
>  
> 
> **min1103:** user ch_one losing their cool and using caps lock. W O W
> 
>  
> 
> **ch_one:** I’m not sure if that’s another one of your weird emoticons or a spaced out “wow”
> 
> **ch_one:** But anyway. I’m really serious. I didn’t mean to ignore you for as long as I did. Things just got super hectic since I’m graduating next spring. 
> 
>  
> 
> **min1103:** OOF CONGRATS °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
> 
> **min1003:** ohohoho i’m graduating by then too but i don’t ignore my friends (¬_¬ )

So. Min considers them friends. That’s… nice.

> **min1103:** anyway im porbbaly dooming myself by asking this but are you not compelled to ask why ive been samming you weekly
> 
>  
> 
> **ch_one:**  Samming
> 
>  
> 
> **min1103:** SHUT UP IM NERVOUS AND AM TYPIGN VERY FAST
> 
>  
> 
> **ch_one:** Sure.
> 
> **ch_one:** Anyway, I didn’t want to put you on the spot if that makes sense. Didn’t want to make this awkward for both of us
> 
> **ch_one:** So it’s fine, Minhyuk. You don’t have to explain anything

It’s only when Hyungwon’s pressed send and he’s rereading his message that he realizes 1.) He called Min by his full name, and 2.) Min hasn’t disclosed that to anyone on this site, even to him.

> **min1103:** what
> 
> **min1103:** wait what???
> 
> **min1103:** HOW DID YOU???

_Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know it's been months since i updated but hshsksh i have no excuses. but yeah, i was actually planning to update two weeks ago but,,, y'all know what happened. i've been trying to motivate myself ever since and truth be told i'm only writing to cope, which i guess is a good thing since i managed churn this out. and, if y'all have noticed,,,, i changed the chapter count again because i suck at pacing. i also might edit the chat format, since i'm kinda iffy about it as of the moment. 
> 
> anyways, thank you so much for reading!! (and for the kudos and comments as well (°◡°))


End file.
